How do we see things?

Beau Lotto argues that the sensory information that falls in through our eyes is meaningless unless we know how to interpret it. Perception is all important.

The brain didn’t evolve to see the way the world actually is but it sees the world in a way that it is useful to see it. The reason we see in colour is perhaps related to spotting predators as we evolved. Beau argues that we are defined by our environment and our interaction with that environment. A priori knowledge is key to our relationship with the world. We are necessarily bound by relative, historical and empirical factors. Our perception of events is vital in order for our species to continue to develop. We must, however, always mistrust everything, as “only through uncertainly is there the potential for understanding”.

Click here for the link to Beau Lotto’s TED talk.
Beau Lotto - Optical Illusions show how we see

This talk links well with
Dan Dennett On our consciousness
Al Seckel Our brains are miswired